Guatemala otra vez - el dia tres

Today began at 5:30. Enough time to have devotions, get showered, dressed, have breakfast and meet the bus at 7:00. Our group met for a brief time of sharing and prayer before classes began at 8:00. Several of the team members were interested in attending worship here in Antigua. We discovered that there are no Methodist churches in this area. I asked the Director and several of the teachers, only to be told that none of them was familiar with a Methodist church other than the one in Chichicastenango. The staff then provided the times for services in one of the Catholic churches near the school, which we hope to visit for service tomorrow before having our lunch.
Once again I have a teacher that is very patient with me. It is hard to believe that I can forget so much in such a short period of time. Class lasted until 12:00. Our last team member, Michael, arrived this morning. I wasn’t aware that his flight left yesterday, so he was traveling all night. La Union was kind enough to provide transportation for him from the airport to the school and then to our home so that he could get settled before our afternoon tour. The rest of the group shared lunch in the garden at La Union. At 2:00, we boarded the bus and after picking up Michael, drove to San Antonio de Agua Caliente for a presentation on the Mayan culture and a demonstration on preparing and cooking tortillas. I will provide a detailed account of the experience simply because my homework assignment is to do exactly that – only in Spanish and I must also use all of the things that were covered in my class today. Writing in English, I hope, will provide me a framework to complete my homework in Spanish.
Two of our members, Pat and Craig, were “unofficially” married in a mock Mayan wedding. Carl participated as the stand in father-in-law. Our hostess, who conducted the presentation, participated as the mother-in-law. Michael provided all of the translation for the presentation.
In the Mayan tradition, when a couple is engaged, the preparations for the wedding are quite involved. Actually, the bride begins preparation for her wedding day many years before she is engaged. She must weave a shawl for her future mother-in-law. The couple first has their wedding ceremony in the Catholic church. Then, they process to the home of the groom. The groom has prepared enough bread so that each family members of the bride will receive their individual loaf. The walk to the groom’s home involves the in-laws leading the way with incense to purge the streets of evil spirits. After entering the groom’s home, the bride presents her mother-in-law with the shawl she has made. The mother-in-law is not to remove the shawl during the fiesta unless she does not approve of her son’s choice for a bride. The bride and groom then kneel on a straw mat to receive blessings from the family. White roses are placed on their heads to ensure plenty of work and many children. After the blessing, the mother-in-law presents the bride with a wrap that will be used in which to carry her first child. Any future children will be carried in a wrap made by the bride. It is at this point the couple begins dancing. It is a well choreographed dance involving the bride, the groom, and the groom’s parents. This dance goes on for several hours. The concluding act is performed by the bride. She must enter the kitchen and prepare a meal for all of the guests, with everyone watching. This is to prove her abilities in the kitchen. If she is not successful in the kitchen, she cannot enter the bedroom with her husband until she has mastered the kitchen.
We had further presentations on representatives in the community that had responsibilities for representing the saints of the church, San Antonio, the Virgin Mary, and the baby Jesus. The customs were explained as to how these persons must carry incense, wear specific head coverings, and carry special candle.
Following the cultural presentations, we had an opportunity to shop and then try our hand at making tortillas. We were all offered tortillas and chicken with rice. This is a special meal usually served only at weddings, but for us, they made an exception.